Running tennis thread for 2023

The main draw in Melbourne starts this weekend, and Naomi Osaka won't be in it.

 

I wish her nothing but the best. But I also won't be surprised if we never see her at another tournament.

 

She doesn’t need the money, that’s for sure.

 

Welp, we know who the 2043 Aussie Champion will be ....

 

Day two in Melbourne and Andy Murray is up two sets to one against Matteo Berrettini, though more importantly, they've invoked the HEAT POLICY!

One of the reasons I love this tournament is hearing everyone talk about how warm it is in Melbourne (97 at time of writing) while I freeze my ass off in Minnesota, though for the record it was 35 and rained all day today here.

 

That match turned into one of those 5-hour epics, with the ancient Murray (he’s really only 35, the same age as Djokovic and younger than Nadal) rose from the grave to pull off the win. Berrettini won the fourth in a very tight (and entertaining) tiebreak, after which I had to bail out and went to bed. Woke up to find the once-crippled Murray had outlasted the hard-hitting young feller to win the fifth in another tiebreak.

Zverev almost got ousted, too, by a lucky loser from Peru named Juan Pablo Varillas (ranked 104). Barely hung on to win the fourth in a tiebreak before finally putting him away 6-4 in the fourth.

 

Seriously, why would she come back?

 

Restlessness. Competitive juices. Craving adulation that's sure to fade.

Now, she seems to have more varied social interests than the typical player who has been banging the ball in a cocoon since before puberty, so maybe she'll find a meaningful direction away from tennis. Motherhood's a good reason for that. But she wouldn't be the first to be pulled back by the forces listed above.

Two decades ago I would have said the same about who would be the 2023 Aussie Open champion.

But Jaden and Jaz Agassi never showed an interest in tennis. Jaden is currently a pitcher at USC.

 

I know I shouldn’t get excited about this, but…

Nadal is down two sets to love to young American Mackie McDonald.

 

OMG, he did it!

McDonald pulls it off and takes out No. 1 seed and defending champion Nadal in straight sets.

Bye, Rafa. I know it hurts, but you always have Paris.

 

Wow Nadal out already!

 

I didn't have time to watch tonight, but I saw that the trainer was out. Was this one of those "Rafa breaks down again because his default levels of torque and exertion surpass the limits of the body human" losses?

Also, how is it that he's still the No. 1 seed at a slam at this point in his (or anyone's at his age?) career?